Nothing Lasts Forever
by dark-angel-yuna
Summary: Peace can't last forever and everyone knows it.
1. Pillow Fights and Dynamite

Author's Note: Heya guys (girls too, i guess...)! DAY here! okie, onto business...i'm co-writing this fic with my friend butterflygurl...or maybe she's co-writing it with me...i don't really know... newayz, this is the first gw fic either of us have done. so, if there are little mistakes, bear with us, but point them out in your review, or summat. and one more thing...there will be absolutely NO YAOI in this fic, unless trin and raven manage to talk me outta my adamant standing against it... newayz, here...we...go...!  
  
DAY: I'm Zara!  
  
bg: And i'm Trinity!  
  
both: And we're *drumroll* *cymbal crash* your authors!  
  
DAY: So sit back...  
  
bg: Relax...  
  
both: and enjoy the fic!  
  
  
  
Introduction  
  
It's the year After Colony 198, only two years after the Mariemaya crisis. Ever since the mobile suits had been destroyed, peace reigned over the Earth Sphere Alliance. Indeed, peace reigned supreme. The five Gundam pilots went their separate ways, but they all kept contact with each other, and kept training. Who knew when the peace would finally shatter? Heero wandered the Earth Sphere and Space Colonies, researching and gathering information. Duo went back to the Sweepers, but regularly visited his close friend Quatre, who returned to his estate, and took over where his father left off in inter-colony communications and pacifism. Trowa stayed at the circus, and the only family he had ever truly known. Wufei worked as a Preventor to help keep the peace. But now, it seems too peaceful. Something's wrong, and all the G-boys know it. But there are others who know it too . . .  
  
  
  
Nothing Lasts Forever . . .  
  
  
  
Chapter One - Pillow Fights and Dynamite  
  
"Zara, get up!"  
  
Zara groaned and turned over in bed. "Go away, Trin!"  
  
Trinity heard a muffled moan as she threw her pillow in her friend's face. "C'mon! Doc wants to see us. She says she's got a mission for us, something important."  
  
Zara removed the pillow from her face and sat up. She definitely looked like she just got up. Her fiery red hair was all tousled and there was a certain grogginess about her movements that wasn't normally there. "Doc wants to see us?! Why didn't you say so before? Damn, Doc's gonna kill me if I'm late again . . ."  
  
"Then hurry up and get ready, you stupid baka." (a/n - hey Trin, baka's the word for idiot, right?) Trinity's neatness was in complete contrast with Zara's look-at-me-I-just-woke-up-and-haven't-had-time-to-do-anything look. Her silver blonde hair hung straight, and brushed, around her elbows, and she was dressed, not in flannel pants and a T-shirt, as was Zara, but in her usual black. Black jeans, ripped at the knees, and a loose, long- sleeved black shirt. Her pale hair stood out in stark contrast against the black. Somehow, Zara managed to pull on a pair of tight blue jeans and a one sleeved, form fitting emerald green shirt, brush her hair, and actually be awake in about five minutes.  
  
"Hey Trin?" Zara asked around her toothbrush. "Do you really think that Doc's got a mission for us? I mean, it's been too quiet for the last little bit. Nothing at all. Not even some stupid little 'kill the spy' mission. Someone must be up to something . . ."  
  
"I know. Now, c'mon. We've got to go. Doc'll be furious!" Trinity walked through the bathroom to her room on the other side and put her right arm in a cage. "Out you come, Bob." A bright green snake slithered up her arm and coiled itself underneath her sleeve. "You too," she put her left arm in another cage and another snake slithered under her sleeve. This snake was very different from the fairly harmless Bob. This one was poisonous. Zara shuddered involuntarily. She didn't understand exactly why she still shuddered, even after watching Trinity do that every morning for the past 8 years.  
  
She watched Trinity take a handful of what appeared to be darts and attach them to various points along her loose belt. Zara knew that those weren't ordinary darts. They were filled with poison from one of Trinity's beloved snakes. If one of those darts pierced or even grazed your skin, you'd die in less than 5 minutes. And not a nice way to die either, writhing in agony as the deadly toxin swept through your body, numbing your brain and paralyzing your heart. Zara shuddered again just at the thought of it. She still didn't like thinking about it, even if Doc had made sure that they were both safe by making them take an antidote that worked like a vaccine. She also made sure both of them carried a bottle of the antidote. In case Trinity accidentally hit someone she wasn't supposed to . . .  
  
She turned instead to get herself ready. She threw aside the shirt she had worn yesterday and picked up her belt. That belt, the one she always wore, had the holsters to her twin pistols on it. The pistols themselves were in easy reach of where she had been sleeping. She walked over and took one off her nightstand and the other out from under her pillow. She twirled them around her fingers a few times, then stuffed them in the holsters.  
  
"I don't understand why you do that," Trinity stated as she came back through the bathroom. "You could accidentally set them off. How many times have I told you . . ."  
  
"I feel just the same about your snakes and spiders and poisonous whatnot," Zara replied nonchalantly as she pulled on a pair of thick, stiff, black leather gloves which had the fingers cut off. The leather may not have been much of a barrier against the hard bones of a face or ribs, but it was better than nothing.  
  
They left their rooms and walked down the stairs and into what appeared to be a normal kitchen. A tall woman with long, silky, black hair was waiting for them there.  
  
"Hey Doc. So, what's up?" Zara was never one for long conversations when there was something important to talk about. She sat down on one of the hardwood chairs and crossed her ankles on the table.  
  
"It's about time you showed up. Did it take you this long to wake her up Trin?" Trinity nodded. "Where were you last night?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Trinity and the woman, apparently Doc, had sat down at the table when Zara made this statement in a voice that was just too innocent. "Would I disobey you, Doctor Miranda Gatwick?"  
  
"When you talk to me like that, I know something's up," Doc replied coolly. "You know I don't like you out partying, and God only knows what else, all night. Especially if there are guys involved. It takes your concentration off your work. Speaking of which . . ." She took a sip from her cup of coffee before continuing. "I've just received word from a colleague of mine that there's trouble. Real trouble. Here's the email I received from him." She took a laptop off the kitchen counter and flipped it open on the table. She clicked the mouse a couple times and an email opened on the screen.  
  
'M,  
  
Something's seriously wrong. Have you noticed how there's been nothing, absolutely nothing, going on lately? It's disturbing. The guys are getting restless too. So I asked 01 to do some digging. He turned up some disturbing stuff. For the past year or so, there's been nothing going on. He found out that about a year and a half ago, a coalition was formed. It was called the Earth Sphere Freedom Coalition, or ESFC for short. Their intentions were to break from the Earth Sphere Unified Nations by force when they had enough power to be too much trouble for the ESUN to bother with, or to take it over completely. So, for the past year and a half, they've been gathering every fighting man available. In essence, building a small army. That's why everything's been so quiet. For once, none of the people who want to separate from the Unified Nations are arguing. He found where a couple of their bases are, and the plans too. On 11-3-198, at 2230 hours, I'm going to send 01 and 02 to destroy this base. The plans are in the attached document. 01 and 02 will take the right side, and I'm counting on your girls to take the left. They'll rendezvous at point A (marked on the map) after the explosives are planted, and detonate the explosives, then head to Safehouse #3 in the L2 cluster. You won't mind if we borrow your girls, will you? I think the guys will need their help to figure this all out and get it sorted. You are welcome to come as well, and your presence would be much appreciated.  
  
Yours, J'  
  
Trinity and Zara read the message quickly, then gaped at the screen for a second. Finally, Trinity shook her head a little and ran her fingers through her hair.  
  
"You mean, we finally have a mission?" Zara asked incredulously.  
  
"Yep. And by the looks of it, you're both going to be staying with the Gundam guys for a while."  
  
"Guys?" Trinity piped up, rather nervously. "Guys? Are they all guys? H- How many are there? You know how I feel about guys, Doc."  
  
"Hm . . . you know what? I don't know. There might be a girl or two, but the majority are definitely guys. And don't worry, Zara'll be there to protect you." She smiled slightly.  
  
"Like that's any comfort. She'll probably end up with one of them in bed."  
  
"HEY! Trin, that's not nice. And just so you know, I haven't slept with a single person . . . yet . . ."  
  
"Cut it out, you two. If it makes you feel any better Trin, I'll drop by from time to time to check on how you're doing. But I have other things to do, so I can't be there the whole time. You'll be fine. So come on, get ready. The mission's today. You guys need to memorize the plans, figure out where you're going to bomb the place and get there. All by about 10:30. Can't start too soon."  
  
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/  
  
Several hours later, Trinity and Zara were standing in front of the building that was supposed to be the base. Zara's face dropped as she gazed upon what appeared to be a warehouse.  
  
"I can't believe we had to come all the way out here to the L2 cluster for this!" Zara exclaimed. "It sure looked bigger on the plans."  
  
"Oh please shut up! Someone is going to hear you. Remember, we have to keep quiet. This is stealth. You're supposed to be the stealth specialist," Trinity hissed back.  
  
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/  
  
"There! The bombs are set. All we have to do now is go and meet Heero and Duo, right?" Zara stood up and looked satisfied about what she and Trinity had done so far. They had planted all the bombs, and hadn't been detected yet.  
  
"Heero and who?"  
  
"Duo. Didn't you know? All the Gundam guys had a number, like a code. It was easy enough to look them up and find out who they were. And I'm not even a techie like you are. Remember J's email? He was sending 01 and 02. 01 is Heero Yuy and 02 is Duo Maxwell."  
  
"Heero Yuy? The politician? He died in an assassination years ago, didn't he?" Trinity was perplexed, and not happy about it. It wasn't often she had to turn to Zara for answers.  
  
"Don't be stupid. Not the politician. Must be some sort of code name. Now c'mon, let's get going. We don't want to be late, do we?"  
  
Trinity punched the exit code into the door. It hadn't been hard for Trinity to find the entry and exit codes for the control room of the base. A little hacking when they prepared that day made it no big deal. The door slid open with a slight hiss. Zara scanned the hallway for movement. None. She motioned for Trinity to follow her. Her pistols were already in her hands, ready for trouble. They crept around the corner as quietly as they could. Suddenly from behind them, there was a soft hissing noise. Trinity turned around to see a man in a black uniform with yellow bars across the sleeves of the jacket and a black beret come out of a room somewhere down the hall. She noticed a symbol on the left side of the chest of his jacket, in yellow. It was an eagle.  
  
"Who's there?" the man called after them. "Answer!" he cried when they didn't respond. Zara holstered her pistols and the girls started moving away casually, as if they had every right in the world to be walking down that hallway. The man took out a walkie-talkie and pushed the button on the side, all the while keeping a close eye on the girls. "Hello? Security? Yeah, I've got a couple girls down here. Yep. Nope, not in uniform. Okay, sure." He put the walkie-talkie back and walked to right behind the girls. "Sorry girls, you're gonna have to come with me." Zara turned around and raised her eyebrows.  
  
"Oh, really?" Zara landed a punch right in the man's solar plexus. He groaned and fell to the ground, unconscious. "C'mon Trin, we've got to get out of here! Those guard people are going to be here anytime now, and I'll bet you they aren't as push over as this guy."  
  
They turned and walked down the corridor for a couple minutes. Then Zara stopped abruptly and motioned for Trinity to keep quiet. She had heard voices from further up the hall, the way they had just come from.  
  
"Hey, Steve, what's the problem here? Steve?"  
  
"Jesus Christ! What happened?"  
  
"I don't know, but I'll bet those girls are the ones that did it. And I'll  
  
bet they aren't far away."  
  
Zara and Trinity exchanged glances. "Oh, shit. Run!" Zara didn't wait for a reply, but ran as fast as she could, without losing Trinity, towards the rendezvous point.  
  
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/  
  
"Hey, Heero? How long do ya think those girls are gonna be?"  
  
"Don't know. Now would you shut up? We don't know who's out there. Anyone could hear you."  
  
"Ok. Sorry." Duo pushed himself up from his squatting position and leaned again a wall instead. He managed to stay still for a whole minute before fidgeting and talking again. "What do ya think they're gonna look like? Will they be hotties?" He smiled, then frowned as another though crossed his mind. "What are they gonna be like? I mean, if they're all as serious and silent as you . . ."  
  
Heero gave Duo a shut-up-or-I-will-kill-you . . . painfully glare. "You don't want to finish that sentence, Maxwell."  
  
Duo took one look at his friend's face, and opened his mouth to respond, when both of them heard what sounded like a herd of elephants coming towards them followed by several gun shots and stifled curses in a female voice. Heero looked at Duo with raised eyebrows that clearly said, 'This what you expected?' Duo shrugged and stated the obvious.  
  
"Guess they're here."  
  
Zara and Trinity burst out of the hall the noises were coming from, followed by 5 guards. Zara spun around for a second and got a couple shots off, two of the soldiers fell and the thudding of their bodies hitting the floor was all too real. Trinity threw a dart behind her, and it hit another of the black-clad guards in the neck. After a couple seconds, he was sinking to the ground, and starting to sweat. 2 shots cracked from behind Zara, and she watched as the final two guards fell. Zara spun around to see Duo standing behind her, smoke still rising from his gun. He gave her a roguish smile and spun the pistol around his finger before putting it away. She raised her eyebrows as if to say, 'Oh really? Beat this . . .' Both her pistols were still out, so she whipped them around her fingers and crossed her arms in front of her to place them both in the holsters on her hips.  
  
"Heero, Duo," it wasn't a question; it was a statement. "C'mon guys. We've got to get out of here. There'll be more where those came from. I'd much rather blow this whole place and get our asses out of here."  
  
"I'm assuming that you two are Zara and Trinity. Now, which one's which?" Heero asked.  
  
Trinity, who hadn't done anything yet, spoke up for the girls. "I'm Trinity, this is Zara, and this," she pulled down her right sleeve to reveal the small, bright green snake coiled there, "is Bob."  
  
Zara, who was standing closest, saw Duo visibly gulp. "Oh God," he muttered, and it seemed that Zara was the only one who heard him.  
  
"Yeah, I know how you feel. Now come on unless you want to be trapped here when this place gets blown to hell!" She took a couple of steps, but winced when she put weight on her left leg. Her breath came in through her teeth with an almost hissing sound. She put her hand behind her thigh, and when she took it off, the black leather of her glove and her fingers were covered in blood.  
  
Duo, being the closest, rushed to her side. "God dammit, you've been hit." It sounded sort of melodramatic, but it was Duo after all. And he was talking to a young woman the likes of which he had never met before.  
  
Zara shoved him off. "I'll be fine. Now c'mon. I sure don't want to be here when they realize we're going to blow the whole joint up!"  
  
The four of them made their way to the entrance of the base. Sitting not far away from the exit were two motorbikes.  
  
"Huh. How convenient," Zara remarked flippantly. "They won't mind us borrowing them, will they? I mean, it's not like they're going to need them any more . . ."  
  
Duo immediately hopped into the driver's seat of one. Trinity immediately walked towards the other motorbike, but when Heero walked towards it she resigned herself to riding with Duo. After all, if he was afraid of Bob, a rather harmless vine snake, he couldn't be much of a threat. Heero was about to climb into the driver's seat of the second motorbike when Zara pushed him aside.  
  
"Oh, come on. You're not going to drive. I'll bet you drive like a granny. Besides, you have the detonating device, right? How can you blow up the base if you're driving?"  
  
Heero rolled his eyes and let her clamber into the driver's seat. He sat behind her. Both motorbikes revved and started out onto the street. When they were between half a mile and a mile out, Heero pressed the button on the detonating device. "Mission accomplished."  
  
Heero turned towards the front again so he wouldn't have to watch the base explode in a series of orange and red flashes behind them.  
  
  
  
DAY: There ya have it! First little chappie! okie, maybe not so little... I wrote most of this chappie, and normally my chaps are 1000- 1500 words long... i don't think i've ever written a 3000 word chapter before! oh well.  
  
bg: Don't expect my chapters to be so long...  
  
DAY: Don't worry Trin, i can help you! ^_^  
  
bg: ...  
  
DAY: okie... oh yeah! um...i know you all think Heero's way outta character (or he will be...) but my philsophy on that is...after sharing an apartment with Duo for 2-3 years...who wouldn't change... also, i think trowa, quatre and maybe even wufei will be a little ooc, just for humor's sake... newayz, ya'll have a nice day now! And don't forget to review on your way out! (constructive criticism is encouraged and appreciated...just no flames...those are bad...) 


	2. Crashes and Crossdressers?

Author's Note: I'm back! Well, sorry about this chapter taking a while, but Trin said she wanted to write it, but she didn't get around to it for ages, so she finally said, 'ok, why don't you write the chapters up, and stuff.' Course, there are still some things that Trin has a right to write. (HAHA! That sounds funny . . .) but now she works mainly as my editor and humor helper, if that makes any sense to y'all out there! Newayz, here's chapter 2! I think you'll like this one! *warning, slight heero and duo bashing, if you can even call it that, and a little anti- quatre stuff . . . oh yeah, and trowa's OOC, well, they're all ooc*  
  
Chapter 2 - Crashes and . . . Cross-dressers?  
  
"Sit down." Wufei glared at Quatre. "You've been pacing for the last ten minutes."  
  
"That's what I do when I think. Give me a break." Quatre was dressed in a pink shirt at khaki pants. He was pacing the length of a comfortable sitting room. He passed the fireplace, fire blazing in the hearth, looked at Trowa for a second, then turned on his heel and started walking back towards Wufei who was sitting in a comfortable chair on the other side of the room. Trowa was leaning against the wall in a green shirt and blue jeans, and Wufei had opted for his white rustic Chinese attire. Quatre sighed and sat down in a chair next to Wufei.  
  
"Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm worrying too much about this. I mean, it's a simple enough assignment for Heero and Duo to carry out, right?" Wufei and Trowa, who had come over and sat down in another nearby chair, both nodded. "But have you noticed lately how Doctor J had been sending out Heero and Duo together, and the three of us into different pairs, or a group of three? It's almost like he wants to make sure they work together well as a team. And why did he choose to have the girls rendezvous with them on a mission? Couldn't they have come by themselves? I don't know . . . it's all a little suspicious to me . . ."  
  
"You know what Quatre?" Trowa spoke up. "You worry too much."  
  
The three of them laughed, even if Quatre's laugh was a little nervous, and slightly shrill.  
  
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/  
  
Heero's head whipped around and looked behind him. He watched the receding form of a telephone pole until it disappeared behind a hill, which couldn't have taken more than 30 seconds. When he spoke, his voice was tight with nervousness and anger.  
  
"Do you know how close we were to hitting that pole?!"  
  
"Yep," Zara answered absently, "we were a mile away."  
  
Heero let out a nervous half-laugh that sounded more like he was choking on something than anything else. "That's a new definition of a mile. I'd say it was about 2 feet."  
  
"Uh huh, missed it by a mile."  
  
Heero sat farther back on the seat, wondering what sort of death wish he had, riding with this insane driver. "Oh my God," he whispered under his breath. But whatever else he did, he made sure he had a good hold on Zara's waist. At the speed she was going, he would have fallen off if he didn't . . .  
  
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/  
  
Duo gulped as he had a sudden thought. Making sure his gaze stayed toward the front, on the pretense of concentrating on the road in front of him as he sped towards the safehouse on the motorbike, he addressed the girl sitting behind him.  
  
"Trinity?" She made no sound, but Duo carried on, assuming that she had heard him. "Um . . . h-how do I know that that snake of yours won't, ya know . . . hurt me?"  
  
Trinity laughed outright at that. Duo didn't know anything about snakes if he thought that a vine snake could cause him serious harm. But she decided to have fun and torture him anyway. "Oh, You don't need to worry about Bob. He's just a vine snake. He's practically harmless, barely bites, and he's not poisonous, anyway," she continued as she pushed down her left sleeve, "I wouldn't be so sure about her though . . ." A brown snake, a smallish cobra to be exact, uncoiled from around her arm, wrapped itself around Duo's neck, and stared him straight in the face.  
  
"Oh my God! Get this thing out of my face!" If Duo had turned around, he would have seen Trinity with sadistic smile plastered all over her face, enjoying his discomfort. She intended to leave that snake there for a long time . . .  
  
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/  
  
Heero was amazed that Zara had gotten them this far without killing both of them. They were almost at the safehouse. There were a few other close calls, but nothing like the telephone pole incident.  
  
His head whipped around for the 5th time during this motorcycle ride from hell. The sound of squealing tires followed them. "My God. You just ran a red light!"  
  
"I did? Really? I wasn't paying attention. Did anyone crash?"  
  
Heero was utterly gob smacked by Zara's light and almost dreamy tone. "No . . ."  
  
"Are there any sirens or flashing lights following us?"  
  
Heero looked behind him just to check. "No . . ."  
  
"Okay. It's all good then." She shrugged slightly.  
  
Heero rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "God, she's worse than Duo."  
  
Thankfully, she didn't hear.  
  
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/  
  
Duo put a finger in his collar and pulled it away from his neck. He had finally managed to get Trinity to take the snake off from around his neck by threatening her with crashing if he couldn't see the road. But now he had a different problem . . .  
  
"Grab hold of my waist," he tried to convince Trinity to hold on to him, but she wouldn't touch him.  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"Cause I can't go any faster if you don't, or you'll fall off." His tone was as if he was talking to a little child. All that did was make matters worse.  
  
"So, what if I don't want you to go faster? What's the rush?"  
  
Duo sighed before continuing. They had already had this conversation twice. "I need to go faster, or we won't get to the safehouse in time."  
  
"In time for what?"  
  
But Duo had had enough. He sped up without answering her question. He hoped that the sudden increase of speed would make Trinity grab whatever she could to keep herself on, namely, him. But he was out of luck. She still wouldn't touch him.  
  
"DUO! Slow down!"  
  
"No." In reply, he sped up more. He wasn't going to be late just because some idiot girl wouldn't grab hold of his waist. His plan didn't work out exactly how he expected. Trinity yelped and suddenly had a deathgrip on his hair.  
  
"OOOOOWW!!!! Leggo of my hair!"  
  
"Slow down first!"  
  
"Okay." Duo then slammed the brakes causing two things to happen very quickly. One, Trinity let go of his hair and two her face was suddenly jammed into his shoulder. She quickly wrapped her arms around his waist and started muttering darkly. Duo couldn't hear what she was saying. Then again, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear. Zara certainly had a language problem, and he wasn't sure if her teammate's language would be the same . . . Either way, it was better than her falling off the back. Except for one thing . . .  
  
"Uh, Trinity," Duo managed to gasp, "I kinda need to breathe, you know." Duo coughed and gasped for air, but still Trinity's arms were wrapped tight around him, inhibiting his breathing. So he tried again.  
  
"Trinity, loosen your arms, would you?" Her face was still buried against his right shoulder, and she was still muttering incoherently. Duo coughed again, and yelled at her, hoping that she would hear and pity him.  
  
"I can't breathe! Loosen your arms, God dammit!" He felt Trinity's arms loosen against his ribs and took in a full deep breath, thinking it the breath of life. As he revved up the bike again he didn't hear Trinity's chuckle.  
  
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/  
  
"Hey, Heero! Lookie, we're almost there! See, I told you I wouldn't get us killed!" Zara called back triumphantly to the disgruntled Gundam pilot.  
  
"You gave it a damn good try, though," he replied scathingly.  
  
Zara replied with a half laugh as she pulled into the long driveway. When she reached the end, she braked suddenly and turned the back wheel of the motorcycle in 180 degrees, leaving a black streak behind it.  
  
"Oh, very discreet," Heero said after he got off.  
  
"Thank you. And, you know, I would appreciate a little less sarcasm on your part, Mr. Perfect Soldier. What did I ever do to you?"  
  
Heero raised his eyebrows as two good replies came to mind, but he didn't really want any more trouble with a girl with an attitude problem that would soon be his teammate. He left it at raising his eyebrows as he walked inside the moderately sized house. Zara waited until Trinity and Duo pulled into the driveway.  
  
"So Trin, how was it? I'll bet you had a better time than me. Stupid old Heero Yuy thinks he's so much better than me."  
  
"Oh, don't worry." It was Duo who answered her. Trin was still clutching his waist, apparently not aware the ride had ended. "He thinks that about everyone. Wufei's worse, though. And he's sexist . . ." he added as an afterthought. "Now, uh . . . could you do me a favor and get her off of me. It wasn't enough that she nearly asfixated (a/n Duo means asphyxiated, or choked) me, but now she won't get off."  
  
Zara walked around and laid a cajoling hand on Trinity's shoulder. "C'mon Trin. It's over now. We're here. Speaking of which, we need to go and meet the other pilots." Trin disengaged herself wordlessly and, looking relieved, headed into the safehouse without another word.  
  
"What's her problem?" Duo asked Zara. Zara looked away for a second before replying.  
  
"She, uh. . .doesn't like guys. . ." She looked down towards the ground.  
  
"What?!" Duo seemed to think this wasn't possible. . .a girl that didn't like guys. . .He then laughed slightly, "Um, she's not a lesbian, is she?" Zara's head snapped up and she replied.  
  
"I don't think so, I mean, well . . . she's never tried to hit on me," She shrugged, "Just let her get used to ya. If you didn't scare her off, that is." Zara flashed a wry smile at the Gundam pilot.  
  
"Would I ever?" For some reason, Duo found her smile infectious, and was smiling himself.  
  
"I think I scared away Heero. Amazing what a little crazy driving can do, eh?" She wiggled her eyebrows and laughed. When the sound of her laughter died away, she found herself staring into Duo's eyes. There wasn't a single noise. She didn't normally like silence, but somehow, right now it was okay.  
  
"I, uh, I guess we'd better be going in now," Duo spoke up after a few seconds.  
  
"Yeah. Then you'll get to introduce me to all your lovely friends."  
  
"Trust me, I don't think you'll want to know some of them . . ."  
  
"Where's your spirit of adventure, o mighty Gundam pilot?" At that remark, they both started laughing. There was something about Duo, his roguish smile and easy laughter that Zara knew that she had just made a friend for life. He offered her his arm, and she took it without thinking. They walked into the safehouse together.  
  
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/  
  
Quatre had finally decided to stop pacing and thinking about conspiracies, and had sat down with pencil and pad in hand to work on his latest poem. Trowa and Wufei were engaged in an exceptionally close game of chess. The last thing any of them expected was Heero Yuy to come staggering in the door, looking like he had just been dragged through a bush backwards. He closed the door behind him and addressed the three Gundam pilots with wide eyes and slack jaws.  
  
"Two girls. Zara O'Reiley and Trinity Charton. Never, never, never ride with Zara. She's worse than Duo."  
  
"Worse than the braided baka?" Wufei asked incredulously. "That'll be the day. Trust a woman to drive worse than him."  
  
Trowa sniggered before speaking. "You look like you've just survived the Independence War. Somehow, I don't doubt it."  
  
Quatre didn't say anything. He was still buried in his poetry.  
  
The next second, the door slammed opened, and a very disgruntled Trinity walked in. She didn't say a word to any of them, but walked straight to the fire and sat in front of it, watching the red and orange flames licking the wood, she half smiled at the fire. Trowa gave Wufei a lewd smile and nudged him in the ribs. He leaned over and whispered in his ear.  
  
"That's your kind of woman. Silent and has an attitude problem." He moved away before Wufei could lash out at him. Heero stifled a laugh. Then the 5 of them heard laughter in the hallway. The guys recognized the deep easy laugh of Duo while Trinity could easily identify the high bell like laughter of Zara. She stared suspiciously at the door.  
  
Out in the hallway, Zara let go of Duo's arm and raised her eyebrows before they entered the room.  
  
"What would the guys say if they saw us walking in like that?"  
  
"I dunno. But don't listen to them. They make fun of me all the time."  
  
"You probably deserve it."  
  
"HEY!" Zara walked into the room ahead of him, laughing.  
  
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/  
  
At almost midnight, the seven of them were all relaxing in the homely main room where they had all met earlier that day. Quatre was still working on his poetry, and, to Duo and Heero's surprise, Trinity was sitting next to him, even giving him assistance with a few lines. Duo and Heero were talking conspiratorially about the whole situation, while Wufei was sitting at the other end of the table, chemistry book in hand. Apparently, they had a big test on Monday. Zara was stretched out on the couch, getting to know Trowa, who was perched on the arm of the couch by her head. They could all hear snatches of conversation between Trinity and Quatre.  
  
" . . .the green-blue depths of her eyes like the silent waters of the sea," Quatre recited.  
  
"The sea on a sunny day, or a cloudy day? On a sunny day, the sea is more of a crystal blue . . ."  
  
"Oh, nice description . . ."  
  
"But on cloudy days it's more of a grayish green, wouldn't you think?"  
  
"Hm . . . Now that I think about it, yes."  
  
"Can we do one about fire now?" Trinity asked anxiously. "Please?"  
  
Duo opened his mouth, stuck out his tongue, and made a movement like he was going to be sick. Then he beckoned for Zara to come over by him and Heero. Zara stood up and walked over to them.  
  
"So, Zara," Duo started when she arrived, "what's Trinity doing with Quatre?"  
  
"Writing poetry, what does it look like?"  
  
"Thank you, smart ass. But you told me she doesn't like to hang around guys."  
  
"Yeah," Zara continued uncertainly, "and that has to do with this how?" She paused then realized what Duo was getting at. Her eyes widened almost comically, and her jaw went slack. "Nuh-uh. No way. Quatre's not . . ."  
  
Duo snorted with laughter. "You two thought Quatre was a girl?!"  
  
"Well," Heero interjected, "it's not so hard. Just look at him."  
  
"Good point. So," Duo rounded on Zara again, who had managed to get her face under control again, "when are you going to break the news to Trinity?"  
  
"Well, I for one think this is good for her. Getting to know a guy and all . . ." she trailed of when she saw the looks that Duo and Heero gave her. "Fine, fine. But if I come back with a bloody nose, I'm going to blame the two of you for it!" Duo grabbed her shoulder and spun her around and pushed her towards Trinity.  
  
Zara reluctantly went and sat down beside Trinity. She whispered something behind her hand to her. Duo strained to hear what it was, but he couldn't make out a word. Wufei and Quatre were muttering to themselves about their respective work, and the fire was crackling. He couldn't hear anything above that racket. He had to bite back a laugh when Trinity dropped her pencil and turned her head to stare open-mouthed at Zara. Her head swiveled back to Quatre, then she stood up shakily, pushed her chair away and rushed out of the room.  
  
Quatre looked questioningly at Zara. "Is she okay? She didn't look so good."  
  
"She said she was feeling a little sick . . ."  
  
Duo couldn't keep his laughter inside anymore. He burst out laughing uproariously, causing Wufei to glance up from his studies. "What's your problem, braided baka?" For some reason, that made Duo laugh all the more. Zara stood up and walked over to him, her face a picture. It looked like she was embarrassed and upset and trying not to laugh all at once. She walked straight to Duo and slapped him upside the head.  
  
"That's not funny! Don't be a jerk to my friend. If we all have to live here for a while we better get along." She turned and walked out the door, shaking her head as she left.  
  
"Smooth move, braid boy," Trowa commented after he was sure Zara was out of earshot. "Now you've scared them both away."  
  
Author's Note: K folks, if you didn't get the whole Zara and Trin think Quatre's a girl thing, that comes not only from the fact that I thought he was a girl the first time I saw gw *embarrassed blushing* and that his Japanese voiceover, according to Trin, is a girl. I wouldn't know, having only seen the dubbed American version . . .  
  
Well, hope you enjoyed today's episode of 'Nothing Lasts Forever . . .' This is DAY, over and out.  
  
Ps. Don't forget to review! 


	3. Trust and Tranqs

Author's Note: Um...sorry for the uh, long wait.   
  
bg: I wrote this! I wrote this!  
  
DAY: Yes...yes you did Trin *pats Trin on the head*  
  
bg: *smiles dumbly*  
  
DAY: Uh...on with the fic!  
  
bg: I just looked at the first couple of chappies and um...we didn't write a disclaimer...so uh here it is.  
  
DAY: Oooh...oops  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own the Gundam guys...but we own the idea of the fic I think...Um now on with the show!  
  
Chapter 3 - Trust and Tranqs  
  
Trinity walked out of the bathroom on the second floor and headed down the hall to where the bedrooms were. She wanted sleep after the...incident...  
  
"How could such a nice girl turn out to be a guy?" she muttered to herself as she opened the door of the first room she came to. "Why does this always happen to me?"  
  
She walked into the room, and seeing that there were no clothes, CD's, papers, or other things strewn throughout the room, she assumed it was uninhabited and laid down on the large bed. She wiggled into a comfortable sleeping position, but groaned when she saw the door was still open.  
  
"Yeah, I forgot...the door..."  
  
She climbed out of bed and closed the door. She returned to the bed, and all thoughts of getting comfortable were banished when she just fell on the bed and immediately fell asleep.  
  
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/  
  
Zara was wandering through the house, thinking about Trin's reaction to the news that she had given her.  
  
I think she's overreacting, I really do. There's nothing wrong with him. So he may be a rather feminine guy, but still. It wasn't like Quatre was doing anything mean to her or anything. I still think she's overreacting. Or maybe I'm just overanalyzing all of this...  
  
She shrugged, and started sifting through what she had found out about each of the guys in her mind.   
  
Well, Heero's kinda stiff and uptight. I don't think he likes me much   
  
anymore. And me and Duo are a lot alike. Hanging with him will be fun. Then there's Trowa. He's cool enough, I guess. Kinda got a weird mind, and doesn't really talk all that much, though. Then Quatre...I guess he's just Quatre. Can't really say much else. And the other one...that Chinese guy... I don't know much about him. I'll bet it'll be fun to go and bug him...  
  
She started walking back to the living room with a rather sadistic expression on her face.  
  
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/  
  
Heero had had enough of the guys in the living room. He was tired and he knew he needed sleep. After all it was nearly 1:30 in the morning. He sighed and left the living room, following the familiar path to his bedroom.  
  
The door was closed just like he had left it, but he still opened the door cautiously. Duo had learned a long time ago that if he didn't close the door after he put some nasty practical joke in his room, then Heero wouldn't fall for it. He peered around his room, and noticing nothing out of the ordinary, everything all put away, and the whole room neat, he crossed to his bed. He was just about to sit down on it when he noticed that someone was already there. He looked down to see Trinity, sleeping quietly.  
  
He smiled slightly and reached down to gently brush some hair away from her face. Heero leaned over and gently shook Trinity's shoulder. She mumbled a few words that sounded kind of like, 'Go away Zara, I don't want to get up.' Heero shook her shoulder harder, and she blinked a few times before opening her eyes. Sudden shock and horror filled her face as she saw Heero sitting over her.  
  
"Oh my God!"  
  
"What? What's wrong?" Heero asked, concernedly.  
  
"Oh my God! Get...get away!"  
  
Heero blinked a few times and asked, in a very confused voice, "Why? This is my room."  
  
"Oh my God! Get...get away from me!" Trinity repeated, crawling away backwards under the covers.  
  
Heero backed up to appease the apparently irrational girl. "Okay, but...what's wrong?"  
  
"You...you in here...and...me in here! That's what's wrong! Get away!" She was getting more hysterical by the second.  
  
"Alright." Heero tried to smile, but he couldn't even seem to force one onto his face. Trinity looked completely horrified. "I'll take the couch tonight, I guess." He backed out of the room and closed the door behind him.  
  
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/  
  
Zara returned to the living room to find only two boys still there. Quatre was yawning over his poetry notebook, staring into the fire. Wufei was sitting on the couch, still pouring over his textbook.  
  
"Heya there, Wufei! Whatcha doin'?" Zara plopped herself down on the couch beside him and leaned over his shoulder to look at his book.  
  
"Studying chemistry," came the snappy reply. "Go away." He sounded annoyed.  
  
Instead of doing as he requested, Zara started poking his arm. "Isn't that boring, though?"  
  
Wufei tensed every time her index finger jabbed into his arm. "It's better than failing." He turned back to his book, and Zara kept continuing her torment.  
  
"Funky hair, Wu-man." To accentuate her point, she gave his short ponytail a sharp tug.  
  
After a cry of pain, Wufei slowly turned his head to look at her. His dark eyes were aflame with anger. Zara laughed nervously.  
  
"Geez, okay. No need to get all bitchy about it."  
  
"Nani?!" Wufei stood up indignantly, and his book when flying off his lap onto the floor. "You did not just call me a woman, you...you...you baka ura(1)!"  
  
Zara snorted at his pathetic excuse for an insult, then grabbed his wrist and pulled him back onto the couch. "Calm down, Wu-man. No need to get all...uh...nutty about it."  
  
Wufei fumed as he picked up his chemistry book off the floor. "Never call me that again." He opened the book and continued to study.  
  
Zara stared at him dumbly for a moment. "Alright, then." She slid off the couch and walked over to Quatre. He was sitting in front of the fireplace, yawning and muttering to himself. Occasionally, he would jot down a word or two in his notebook, then return to watching the fire.  
  
"Hey there Quatre. Whatcha doin'?"  
  
Quatre blinked sleepily a few times and looked up at Zara. "Oh, um...just writing..."  
  
"Oh," She sat down, "What about?"  
  
"Just something to cheer Trinity up. Why'd she leave so quick before?"  
  
"Um...she uh..." Zara sputtered nervously, "Well um we...uh..."  
  
"What is it?" Quatre asked with a rather confused expression on his face.  
  
"We-both-thought-you-were-a-girl-so-she-was-talking-to-you-but-then-Duo-told-me-you-were-a-guy-so-I-told-Trin-and-she-left." Zara took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When Quatre didn't say anything she opened them again. He was looking towards the fire with the same confused expression on his face. Then he turned to her.  
  
"Um, why'd she talk to me when she thought I was a girl, but not when she found out I was a guy?" Zara scratched her head then answered.  
  
"Well, she doesn't trust guys too much. She gets along with girls pretty easily, though."  
  
"Doesn't trust guys? Why?" Wufei suddenly made a contribution to the conversation. Zara and Quatre looked over. "What?" He asked in anger, "It's hard to study when people are talking so loudly...and I'm curious."  
  
"Well," Zara bit her lip for a second, "I'm not sure I should tell ya. She barely even told me about it and I'm her best friend." Quatre and Wufei looked at each other.  
  
"Barely told you what?" asked Wufei.  
  
"Promise not to tell anyone?" asked Zara. Wufei nodded.  
  
"Yes," was Quatre's reply.  
  
"Okay...all I know is that she doesn't like guys and her dad scares her."  
  
Wufei looked at Zara, then muttered, "That's all you know?"  
  
"Well, she also doesn't really trust many people 'cept Doc and me really."  
  
"Oh," sighed Quatre. "Guess I can't do much to cheer her up if she doesn't trust me, then"  
  
Zara smiled slightly and shrugged. "Guess not..."  
  
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/  
  
Heero still stood leaning against the door to his room. "What was that about?" he muttered. After a moment Duo walked up.  
  
"Hey Heero." He stopped walking and paused a moment. "What's with the face?"  
  
"Uh..." Heero started, stopped, took a breath and tried again. "Uh well...Trinity is in my bed."  
  
"Oh, really?" Duo smiled and almost laughed, "Then uh, what's with the face?"  
  
Heero frowned at Duo. "I'm not sure why, but she freaked out when I woke her up..."  
  
"Whoa!" Duo gasped in surprise. "D-Do you mean to say that a girl was sleeping in your bed and you woke her up? Good God! You need some help!"  
  
"That's not the point," Heero replied icily. "Zara may have said that Trinity doesn't like guys, but this seems a bit extreme to me."  
  
"Hmm, guess you're right. Want a professional to take care of it then?" Duo reached for the doorknob, but Heero stopped him.  
  
"I'm not sure that's a very good idea Duo."  
  
"Why?" Duo asked in a tone of pure innocence.  
  
"She freaked out because of me. She might have a heart attack because of you."  
  
"Don't think so." Duo pushed Heero away and opened the door. He walked in and closed it behind him. A high-pitched scream filled the air. Then it stopped as suddenly as it had started and Heero heard a thud. He forced open the door. The sight that greeted him was...rather odd. Duo was lying on the floor unconscious and Trinity was rocking back and forth on the bed.  
  
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/  
  
Zara jerked when she heard the scream.  
  
"Oh God," she muttered, then jumped up and ran towards it.  
  
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/  
  
"What happened here?" Heero muttered as he walked into his room.  
  
"I hit him with a dart," was Trinity's blatant reply. Zara then burst through the door, took in the sight and after a second or two of silence smacked her hand against her forehead.  
  
"Trin..." She stood for a moment then gasped and reached into her pocket. "It's not..."  
  
"No," Trinity answered quickly before Zara could administer the antidote to Duo. "No, it's just a tranquilizer, he'll be harmless for about an hour, I think."  
  
"Harmless?!" Zara looked down at the poor unconscious boy. "Well...at least you didn't poison him...and thanks for telling me it wasn't poison. I mean that antidote is deadly unless it's reacting with the venom."  
  
"I know. I told you." Trinity shrugged. "Does it matter?"  
  
"Yes, you idiot! If you hadn't told me I would've killed him. What'd he do to deserve this anyway?"  
  
Trinity looked down at Duo, then back up at Zara and answered, "He scared me."  
  
"What? He scared you...so? It seemed like I scared you too when I woke you up," Heero muttered rather quietly. Both girls turned to him. Zara pointed at the door.  
  
"Get out. I need to talk some sense into Trin."  
  
"Get out? This is my room," Heero replied indignantly.  
  
"It is? Oh well. Get out so I can talk ta Trin and you'll get it back in perfect shape."  
  
Heero shrugged and walked out of the room where he was immediately met by two curious boys and a third yawning one.  
  
"What's going on in there?" Quatre asked nervously.  
  
"I don't quite get it," Heero answered, "I came to my room and Trinity was asleep in my bed and..."  
  
"Trinity was asleep in your bed?" Wufei asked his eyes narrowing. "Why?"  
  
"How the hell should I know? Wait that's not the point." Heero took a breath and continued. "No interrupting, alright?" Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei all nodded. "I woke her up and she freaked, so I went out into the hallway. Duo came up and went in before I could stop him. She screamed and hit him with a tranquilizer dart. Then Zara came up and kicked me out to talk to her."  
  
"Oh...well no wasting time, let's find out what they're talking about."  
  
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/  
  
"Breath in...and out, in...and out, calm." Zara said to Trinity.   
  
She followed the instructions then stopped to say, "Zara, I think you're going to make me hyperventilate."  
  
"Well, at least I haven't knocked you out like you did to this poor sap." Zara countered waving angrily at Duo. "Why'd ya do that?"  
  
"I told you, he scared me." Trinity replied angrily.  
  
"Trin, I don't get it...Heero said he woke you up and you didn't do anything to...are you okay?" Trinity's face had paled suddenly.  
  
"I-I couldn't do anything...when he woke me up I was to scared too react...so I just babbled like and idiot...but he left, so I prepared a dart, just in case he came back..."  
  
"And you used the tranq on Duo...alright. Well Trin come'ere." She motioned for her to get up. "If we're gonna live here you just have to trust these guys, alright. Now let's go before Duo wakes up pissed."  
  
"Okay." Trinity replied nodding. She then stood up and leaned on Zara to walk to the door. They both stepped gingerly over the now snoring Duo.  
  
Before opening the door Zara stopped and asked. "How much you wanna bet that there're some of 'em trying to listen?"  
  
"Don't know..." Trinity answered before saying rather brightly. "A snake bite?"  
  
"Hell no! I...you know what I meant," Zara sputtered.  
  
"Okay then...how about two dollars?"  
  
"Right." They shook on it, and Zara opened the door. Two of the boys immediately fell in on top of Duo. Quatre and Wufei.  
  
"Pay up," Zara said smiling at Trinity. Trinity reached into her pocket and handed Zara the money.  
  
"Now, let's go find you a room," Zara said while stowing the money in her pocket. She and Trinity then walked over the two boys and down the hall where they suddenly erupted into a fit of laughter.  
  
1- Dumb ass  
  
DAY: Well thanks for reading  
  
bg: I really hope you liked it. 


End file.
